That requires me to put my faith in men rather than Christ. I'm sorry, but that is not an option.
"That requires me to put my faith in men rather than Christ."
The New Testament was written by such men - if you can have no faith in their word, then you have no faith in Christ anyway.
The apostles didn't exist in a vacuum - men they knew and taught like Timothy, Titus, Clement, Polycarp, Ignatius took up their mantle and carried on giving their lives for Christ's Church under fearsome persecution. They were succeeded by others who cherished what had been handed on. Their proximity to Christ and his apostles in time and space gives their words and legacy far greater weight than any 21st century modern who picks up a book and thinks he can understand what its all about from a distance of 2,000 years and numerous cultures.
"That requires me to put my faith in men rather than Christ. I'm sorry, but that is not an option."
Not at all. Indeed, in the East there is a very healthy skepticism about what men, especially hierarchs, have to say on most things. The Church knows if doctrine is of God if the whole Church accepts it. Thus the Holy Spirit operates throughout the Church collectively just as He does when the Church meets in council.